Master of Counselling
Do you like to listen? Do you enjoy being with people? Do you want a meaningful and fulfilling career? Learn to provide professional counselling support through the Master of Counselling Program.
In this program you will:
- Immerse yourself in a holistic integrated and evidence-based pathway to becoming a registered counsellor
- Acquire advanced skills, theoretical knowledge and clinical experience through classroom activities, blended learning and internship placements
- Be exposed to advanced counselling skills and theories, counselling and mental health, counselling and addictions, counselling children and young people, mindfulness-based interventions, expressive therapies and solution focused brief therapy.
- Learn the art of assessment and case conceptualisation
- Build a strong ethical framework for practice
Location
CRICOS code
Duration
Full-time or equivalent part-time Only a full-time option is available to international students on a Student visa. Online programs are not available to Student visa holders.Indicative fees
Indicative 2025 fees (A$)
CSP / Fee-paying Annual fee / Estimated total feeStart
- Semester 1
- Start
-
- Semester 1
- Delivery mode
-
- on campus
- Total courses
- 16
- Total units
- 192
- Duration
- 2 years 2 years
- CRICOS code
- 079913F
- UniSC program code
- AR708
Required courses (16) 192 units
COU700 Professional Placement
COU701 Social Work Field Education 1
COU702 Direct Practice 1
COU703 Professional Ethics and Integrity Management
COU704 Diversity, Crime and Justice
COU705 Direct Practice 2
COU706 Critical Social Policy Analysis
COU707 Applied Crime Prevention
COU708 Community Development and Social Action
COU709 Professional Placement
COU750 Crime Research Methods
COU751 Working with Victims and Offenders
COU754 International Justice and Human Rights
COU755 Social Work Field Education 2
COU781 Context Responsive Social Work Practice
SCS725 Introduction to Sociology: Society, Culture and Change
Note: Program structures are subject to change. Not all USC courses are available on every USC campus.
A student entering the Master of Counselling will normally be required to hold an approved 3-year degree in Counselling (AQF Level 7) or a Bachelor Degree (AQF Level 7) in other cognate areas as approved by the University.
Entry by non-graduates who have extensive relevant industry experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Head of School, Social Sciences.
Applicants are required to complete an additional personal statement and attend an interview (refer to application form). Interviews for International students on a Student visa will be conducted by Skype.
Applicants must hold a valid Suitability Card (Blue Card), which is issued by the Public Safety Business Agency, prior to commencement. Please see the Blue Card link for further details.
The Master of Counselling offers a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) as well as domestic fee paying places. Offers for both CSP and fee paying places will be made after the application due date for the program.
CSP will be allocated on the basis of your Grade Point Average in the degree used to meet admission requirements. Applicants falling below the demand-driven cut-off for a CSP may be offered a domestic fee paying place (with the option to access FEE-HELP) subject to capacity limitations. USC reserves the right to offer a small number of CSP to students from ATSIC or disadvantaged backgrounds.
Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent visa holders enrolled in a fee paying place will have the option of applying for a CSP in subsequent semesters if one becomes available. In these cases, the student’s current GPA in the Master of Counselling will be used to assess eligibility for a CSP place using the same entry cut-off applied for new CPS entrants during that admission period.
English language requirements
Post admission requirements
You must hold a current Blue Card before starting your first supervised counselling experience. Many agencies also require a Police check in addition to the Blue Card.
Program requirements
- Successfully complete 192 units as outlined in the Program Structure
Requirements for field education
To complete this program you must complete 50 hours of supervision relating to a minimum of 200 hours of client contact for which you are required to obtain a Blue Card (issued by the Public Safety Business Agency).
In the event that you become ineligible for a Blue Card, at any time between the date of first enrolment and the date of completion of the program, you will not be able to complete the program.
Please note, while all endeavours will be made to place students in a given semester, this is not guaranteed and students may need to enrol at a later time should a position in an agency be unavailable in the preferred semester.
Field education includes professional or clinical placements. Students may be required to undertake these placements away from the campus at their own expense.
Program notes
- Prior to entry into the program applicants will be required to submit their current Suitability Card (Blue Card)
- Completing this program within the specified (full-time) duration is based on studying 48 unit points per semester (normally 4 courses) and following the recommended study sequence
- The unit value of all courses is 12 units unless otherwise specified
- It is each students responsibility to enrol correctly according to your course requisites, program rules and requirements and be aware of the academic calendar dates
- Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods which may include essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests and examinations
- Only a full-time study option is available to international students on a Student Visa
- Refer to the Managing your progression page for help in understanding your program structure, reviewing your progress and planning remaining courses.
- CSP estimate
- A$8,842
- Fee-paying estimate
- A$24,696
- Annual tuition fee (A$, 2025)
- A$26,000
- Estimated total tuition fee (A$, 2025)
- A$52,800